I noticed that Lucozade was the fastest thing on their chart. A 95 glycemic index number!
I had never tried it, so I bought some (found it on Amazon). Kinda pricey.
I tried it. Yes it’s fast. It’s not earth-shattering amazing like the D50 IV injections which are instant (and a lot of fun!). But if you go by the science, this is the fastest thing on the chart. Try it!
I don’t think this is the fastest. My dad and I made experiments: I go up faster with hard candy than with sugar water. We used sugar water with 4 grams/oz because that’s supposed to be the best ratio. Then we went to 10 grams/oz. But it was still slower than hard candy.
I know the educators and the books say liquid is faster. But, for me, I know that is not true. If I really need to go fast, the best thing for me is hard candy. I think they have not really tested it. Or it is different for everyone.
This isn’t the same sugar you are using for your comparison.
Table sugar is sucrose. It has a glycemic index of only 65. Lucozade has glucose syrup.
If you are comparing things to water mixed with table sugar (sucrose), no wonder you are disappointed:
And keep in mind, chewing takes time too.
If you are going to do such a test, you need to use a BG meter. Dexcom won’t be fast enough.
Gatorade Prime is super fast. Here are the ingredients:
Water, Isomaltulose, Sucrose, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, …
It has lots of different types of sugar, Maltodextrin and Dextrose, which are both faster than table sugar
Try Gatorade Prime. I promise, it’s faster than candy.
You are right. We should redo our tests with maltose or dextrose.
My mom just ordered some maltodextrin powder to do some more liquid tests.
Maltodextrin GI = 110!
Cool!
Try Prime sometime.
BTW, one interesting thing about maltodextrin, it is not classified as a simple sugar. Because it’s molecules are longer than simple sugars, it is classified as a complex carbohydrate.
But the molecule bonds are very weak, and that is why it is metabolized so quickly. So even though it is a complex carb, it is much faster than most simple sugars.
None of that matters, just some geeky science stuff.
Glucose gel has worked well for me. Transcend is pretty liquidy, seems to do it’s business quickly. Easy to grab a pouch, (I’ve got them stashed all over the place) rip it open and gulp it in. Eric, I’ll be giving Prime a try too.
Yep I use that sometimes too. It’s very fast.
I think they only have strawberry flavor. Hopefully they will add some flavors.
BTW, @John58, what did you decide about your pump?
Eric, I ramped up my hockey to 3 nights per week for summer plus good outdoor exercize and my MDI / IOB routine is still working great… so no motivation to start pumping any time soon. The way things go for me, I think a pump will only be of benefit for corrections when I screw up a bolus. So far those are rare enough to resist the pumping.
Based on your posts I have switched my post game routine to 30g protein (I use 2 Simply Protein bars , 15 g each with a lot of water) and notice much better muscle recovery on days after skating.
I was off the site for a while, when the rains quit in Seattle my computer time dropped way down; but back on again now.Thanks for reaching out!
John
Couldn’t you just dissolve some pixi stix or smarties or sweettarts (all the wonka brand sugary candies are made from dextrose so they are the best hard candies and like cheaper/better tasting glucose tabs) in water if you really wanted a liquid option that was cheaper?
Yesterday I found some dextrose powder that was really cheap (less than $3 per lb), but you have to buy a lot of it:
https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Dextrose-Powder-Pounds-Packaging/dp/B002JNM8YM/
The maltodextrine we bought (because the GI was higher than dextrose or maltose) cost about $6 per lb.
@Eric As you know Eric, I’d much rather eat a couple of donuts instead of drink some crappy sugar water. Wash them down with some fresh o.j. and I’m good to go. 
I hear ya!
Have you ever heard of Oatmeal Creme Pies?
Not a common thing for me, but I have actually carried them for emergency when running. They are individually wrapped and they have both quick and extended carbs.
You don’t see that in a Nike commercial…
That’s awesome you have it dialed in. Would love to hear some details! Post on the exercise page how you do it. Hockey is tough to handle.
@John58, it would be great to know your routine! All intense sports are hard to handle, and seeing how someone else does it is always really instructive.
I would argue that solid or gel glucose/dextose might be faster than liquid IF you let it dissolve slowly in your mouth (which for me is the fastest option I’ve found), since some will absorb there, whereas liquid won’t stay in the mouth long enough to do that as much. If you follow the solids with plenty of water, it will dissolve into that (especially if it has already dissolved in your mouth) and essentially be liquid in your stomach anyway, so that part should be the same. Granted, I’m guessing the amount of time saved either way isn’t that great and probably not that important unless it’s a particularly precipitous low.
Note, that if you do the dissolving dextrose/glucose in your mouth thing, you’ll probably also increase your risk of tooth decay if you don’t brush right after, so I don’t do this if I’m not desperate to raise my blood sugar quickly.
Don’t forget that there is more than one way to your bloodstream! Possibly keeping the sugar in your mouth may actually expedite the delivery to your bloodstream. Possibly.
Ok, I am enjoying the discussion about a topic not discussed much. Now here in the real world, how much does this help? Are you shaving 5 minutes off a low, or 20?
Do you feel better more quickly?
In a practical sense, the fastest way to get a BG up is by taking more than is actually required. Sometimes I take a bunch of sugar and some insulin at the same time, because I know the amount of sugar I am taking will cause a spike if I don’t take insulin, but it is faster than just taking the actual amount I will need. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone.
The other stuff, like one type of sugar versus another, it does not make a huge difference. Like dextrose versus ice cream - it might save a few minutes, but not 20.
That is why I agree the brilliant quote made by @docslotnick which should go in the book:
“I never waste a good low on a glucose tab.”
